Nightmares title is subject to change
by DelusionalReality
Summary: CHAP 3 UP! Rating may change! if i feel like uping it... Hermione is having nightmares about something in her past and Draco is helping her deal with them.
1. Letters in the night

Okay, okay.  I know I really need to work on my other stories, but this just won't leave me alone.  I swear I will work on them as soon as I can figure out what to do with them. 'K?  'K.  So, yeah, this is a bit different from what I normally do, but I kinda like where it's going.  I hope you like!

Disclaimer:  everything here that isn't original belongs to the oh-so-brilliant J.K. Rowling.  Everything original belongs to me.

&%&

The eight-year-old girl struggled to hold the flames and smoke further back when she heard one of the smaller girls cough and the other whimper.  "Help!!"  Why wasn't anybody answering?  Where were Mama and Papa?  Or Godmama and Godpapa?  Or Uncle Severus?  The young girl held more tightly to her younger sisters.  "Somebody!  Please help us!!  Anybody! Please!"  It was so hot…She knew she couldn't keep the fire back too much longer.  She didn't even know how she was doing it in the first place…

All three girls suddenly screamed in pain.  The blaze had escaped the young girl's desperate hold. 'We're gonna die,' was chanted tauntingly through the child's mind.  It was so hot and they were burning, burning…

&%&

"Ahhhh!"

Hermione bolted upright in bed, listening to the reverberating screams.  She knew after a moment that they were her own.  'This has got to stop,' she thought as she threw open the bed curtains disgustedly.  She literally fell out of bed and stumbled over to the table beside the window.  After washing her face with water from the pitcher she kept there, she sat down in the window seat and leaned back against the wall.  She looked out the window and sighed. If she hadn't been listening to the silence, she'd've missed the crashing downstairs.  Hermione shook her head. 'Draco…'  It wasn't very late and he was probably still up reading or something. 

Someone banged on her door and shouted and Hermione spun around.  She banged her side on the table when she turned.

&%&

Draco's head jerked up and around when he heard her screaming in her sleep again.  'Again?'  Draco sighed and threw the notes he was studying down on the couch.  When he started to run upstairs the boy tripped on a stray pillow from their 'battle' earlier and went sprawling into a side table.  He picked himself up and continued to run upstairs.  The boy banged on his friend's door.  "Hermione?  You all right?  Open the door, Hermione, please!"  He heard something thud and a teenage girl's voice swear.  Draco grinned.  She was a spitfire, she was.

Hermione ran across the room, opened the door, and flew into her friend's waiting arms.  She babbled nonsensically for a moment before breaking down and sobbing.  Draco lifted her into his arms and carefully made his way downstairs.  He sat down on the couch with his friend in his lap.  "Hermione?"  The girl lifted tearful eyes up to his face. "I think Papa ought to be told that his Goddaughter is having nightmares every other night, don't you?"  They'd been back at school for a couple of weeks now and Hermione hadn't been sleeping very well in that time. Which was affecting her schoolwork the point that even Professor Snape had noticed.

"Y-yeah, I guess so."

Draco smiled sadly at that.  She'd been reluctant at first to even tell him what her nightmares were about, let alone allow him to comfort her.  The boy wrapped an arm around his year-mate and led her over to where his owl was sitting, waiting for Draco to send him somewhere.

Father, (Draco wrote)

While I know it's rude to skip pleasantries at the beginning of a letter, this is too important to wait.  For the past few months now, Hermione's been having nightmares about the fire that killed her parents.  This is the first time that she's allowed me to write to you.  That was dumb.  Of course this is the first time.  Otherwise you'd already know.  Anyway, what should I do?  I don't really want to have her take a dreamless sleeping potion every night because you can become addicted to them.  The only time in the past few months that either of us has slept well was when we fell asleep together on the couch about three weeks ago.  Please return my letter, Dad, and tell me how I can help Hermione.

All my love,

Draco

P. S.:  Lucius?  Since the twins are nearly ten now, could you and Narcissa keep a closer eye on them?  You know, to keep them out of my room?  Thanks!!

Hermione

The two looked over their letter one final time before Draco tied it to Nuncio's leg.  He put his arm around his friend and rested his head against hers, which was laid on his shoulder, while they watched the owl fly away.  "Well, Mia, if Dad doesn't answer that letter by tomorrow afternoon, via another letter, Uncle, or in person, I'll contact him through the Floo.  Draco led Hermione over to the couch, sat down, and pulled her down next to him.  Shortly thereafter, he felt her breathing even out and settled himself for another night of sleeping on the couch.  He was just glad that tomorrow was Saturday.

&%&

Review pwease!!!


	2. Meet the family

La la la...still can't find my floppy...::sigh:: I really need to talk to mama... Neway, still don't own anything but my stuff, so don't sue me, 'k?

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Lucius put the letter from his son and Goddaughter on the table the next morning and sighed. Narcissa looked up at him expectantly. He shook his head and watched as her lovely face fell at the inevitable bad news.

"What's the word, Lucius? Why the long face," she asked quietly.

The blonde man hesitated, glancing at the three children sitting at the table, then motioned for her to precede him into the room adjacent to the dining room. He placed a silencing charm around the room before he answered his wife's question. "Hermione is having nightmares," the senior Malfoy told her, "and Draco doesn't know what to do. She hasn't permitted him to tell anyone before this and he, in turn, is leery of giving her a possibly addictive sleeping potion. According to Draco, Hermione has only been able to sleep the night through when she falls asleep in his arms on the couch."

"What are we going to do, Lucius," Narcissa questioned. She was very fond of all of her Goddaughters and loved them as her own. These nightmares of Hermione's worried her.

Lucius turned to face the fireplace at the other end of the room. "How would you like to take the children for an outing today, my love? I need to have a word with Draco, Hermione, and Severus. Would the four of you care to tag along?"

Narcissa smiled. "Lucius, that would be wonderful. One thing, though."

"What's that, Narcissa?"

"What is Hermione having nightmares about?"

"The fire that killed her parents."

---

Draco and Hermione sat down for breakfast at the Gryffindor table the next morning. They rotated where they sat weekly and this was the end of their week at the 'Lion's Lair', as it was called. Ginny was sitting next to Hermione and piped up with a cheery good morning. "How'd the two of you sleep last night?" Hermione gave Draco a mischievous grin before she turned to her friend and rested back against the Head Boy. Draco smothered a groan, 'what is she up to now?' and wrapped one arm around her waist.

"We slept just fine, Gin. The couch in front of the fire is very comfortable, you know," she said innocently. The Head Girl giggled and beat her friend's back when she choked on her milk until she stopped coughing. Draco rolled his eyes then gave the red-head's bristling brother and boyfriend an apologetic look and shook his head. 'It's not what you think,' he motioned. Harry raised one brow, 'then what is it?'

Before the blonde boy could elaborate on Hermione's rather risqué comment, the doors to the Great Hall were thrown open and a child's voice shrieked, "Hermione!" Said girl jumped in Draco's arms. Both top students swung around to look for the source when they heard their names called out by several children. Hermione giggled and leapt up to meet her sisters as they tore across the hall. Draco smiled as his younger brother tried in vain to keep up with the twins then got up to go meet him. Draco scooped the small boy into his arms as Hermione knelt to embrace her own siblings. He grinned at the identical twins that had passed into his parents care with Hermione. Speaking of his parents, the Head Boy crossed the Hall to greet them. Hermione followed him with one of her sisters on her hip.

Narcissa smiled at the loving interplay between her sons and Goddaughters. When Draco moved to allow Hermione to greet herself and her husband, the woman squeezed her elder son's hand proudly. He grinned at her and embraced his father. Narcissa held Hermione close for a moment then set her back a pace to look her over. She smiled at the younger woman, who returned it gamely, then turned to seek out the Headmaster and the Potions Master. Both men excused themselves from the table and strode toward the group of Malfoys and Grangers in the doorway.

"Lucius," began Dumbledore, "Narcissa. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

The two Malfoys exchanged surprised looks, and then turned to Draco and Hermione. "They don't know, then?" Lucius had to smile when Severus readily took five-year-old Antony into his arms as the small boy lunged for him. Draco replied that they'd wanted to wait to tell the two men until after Lucius had replied to the letter.

"If you hadn't replied by tonight, we'd've gone to Uncle before bed," Draco told his father. Albus looked at the group before him. All of the children were smiling as though they hadn't a care in the world, Narcissa rested her head on her husband's shoulder, and Draco had his arms wrapped around Hermione from behind.

"Why don't we adjourn to my office and you can enlighten us to the situation," the grandfatherly man told them. Everyone agreed but Hermione. She told them that she didn't want the kids in there during the discussion because she didn't want to risk giving them nightmares as well. Ginny, Harry, and Ron were called over to take charge of them until they returned.

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Review, pwease!!!


	3. Memories

Well…I found one floppy but not my other…::pouts:: oh well…not mine…'cept what you don't remember in the books.

This chap is 'specially for you, Tacy, cuz you're the one who brought it to my attention.

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Lucius stood with one arm on the mantle in the Headmaster's office, gazing into the fire as he contemplated the cause of his Goddaughter's nightmares.

_::FLASHBACK:: _

_Lucius gazed down at the baby girl in his arms. She was the spitting image of her mother. He looked up at the child's father. "I'd be honored, Michael. As you are to Draco, I will gladly stand as your daughter's Godfather."_

_7 years and eight months later_

_Seven-year-old Hermione and eight year old Draco were dancing in anticipation. The little boy ran over and grabbed his father's arm. "Are they here yet, Papa? Are they?"_

_Lucius laughed. "I don't think so, son. Not yet."_

_Six months later_

_Lucius and Narcissa stopped dead at the sight of the inferno. Both could feel the faint tingle of new, young magic within. "Hermione! Andromeda! Aradia!" Both adults ran inside to get at their Goddaughters and friends before they were killed. At least one of the girls was a witch, but their parents weren't and if the girls weren't with them…_

_Six weeks later_

_Hermione sobbed into Draco's small chest as they lay in his bed late that night. "Why'd they hafta leave me an'the twins, Drake? W-Why?"_

_The small boy held her closer. "I don't know, Mymy, but at least you know I'LL never leave you, right? You do know that, don'cha?" Hermione nodded and her sobs quieted so that Lucius could no longer hear them from the door where he stood with little Aradia in his arms. He brought the infant up and kissed her forehead. The girls were all incredibly lucky that they hadn't been hurt far worse. 'I swear to you, Michael, Sarah, that I will always care for the precious gifts you have left behind. They will want for nothing. This is my vow.'_

_END FLASHBACK_

'Well, my friend, have kept my word to you to the best of my ability. Are you pleased with your children? Hermione made Head Girl at one of the most prestigious schools of magic in the world and the twins will be attending it next year. I know of no other way to aide your eldest, save by helping her find a decent job, but she can do that on her own, with her abilities,' Lucius said to himself as he looked over at the two teenagers as they told the Headmaster and their honorary uncle why he and his wife were present. He raised a brow at the sight of both children in the same arm chair but said nothing. If things continued that way, they would make a good match.

"So you see, by writing to Dad, I was sure that I was doing the right thing. We can't keep sleeping on the couch, and our rooms were charmed long before they were ours against a boy and a girl sharing the bed. I mean, I suppose we could pull our blankets and such down into the common room and sleep on the floor, but that's about as restful as sleeping on the couch."

"No, Draco, you did the right thing." Severus sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Hermione, when did these nightmares of yours start? Sometime during the school year?"

"No, a few weeks before the start of term, actually. Why?"

"Do you recall what happened outside the manor around that time?"

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Review please!!


	4. Discoveries

Onward!! ::giggles:: ;-p luv you guys!!

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"Do you recall what happened outside the manor around that time?"

Lucius looked at his friend sharply. "Severus? Surely that isn't it. They've been there before now,without affecting any of the children." But Hermione's eyes had gone too wide. She drew in her breath at the memory.

"The bonfire, though," she whispered brokenly, "they've never had a bon fire like that so close to the house. It was ten years that night, since they died and I'd gone in with Draco…" The girl buried her face in her hands and groaned. Draco wrapped his arms around her smaller frame and held her close. On the anniversary of her parents' deaths, without fail, she spent the night in his room, in his bed, in his arms, as she had for the first few months after the episode. It was a comfort slash security thing, or so he believed. She never spent it with her sisters, they didn't even remember their parents because they'd been six months old when the Grangers had passed away. When she looked up again, her eyes were a little brighter than normal. "We could see the firelight dancing on the far wall, so we got up to see what it was. When the pure size of the blaze registered in my mind, I froze. Draco guided me back to bed, then I think he pulled the curtains shut, both at the window and around the bed. I trembled all night long and he held on to me through the whole thing. I didn't have a nightmare that night, probably because Draco was with me, but I did have one a few days later. That fire just…I don't know, threw my subconscious back in time straight to the night of the fire. That's what my dreams have been about. I guess I didn't speak up sooner because it's kinda pathetic, if you think about it, being seventeen and having bad dreams that wake you up screaming in the middle of the night…" She trailed off and looked at her lap.

Narcissa dropped to her knees facing the daughter of her heart. "There's nothing shameful about it, little dove. I knew it was a mistake, not taking you both to some kind of grief counseling when Michael and Sarah died. All these years, you've been going in with Draco? Why didn't one of you say something? Oh, Hermione," the woman said as she grasped the younger woman's hand in both of her own. Her own sapphire blue eyes were more than slightly damp after listening to her Goddaughter's account of the incident. "Sweetheart," she said looking at Draco, "why didn't you tell your father or me that this was going on?"

Draco shrugged. "Its only once a year, Mum. When she started having nightmares, I told her to tell someone and she said she did. She told me. I told her to tell either you or Dad, but she said no, that she could deal with it. I figured she's old enough to make her own decisions about things like this. It's her life, after all. Yes, I was worried about her. But I always worry about her. It's part of my self-appointed job of taking care of her. Has been since I was eight," he said as he looked down at the girl he'd grown up with. She was more important to him than anyone else in the world. In some ways, she was his sister. In others…she was more, much more. And he'd nearly lost her ten short years ago. Draco held Hermione tighter. He'd never gotten over how close he'd come to losing her forever. He probably never would.

The Headmaster shared a look with Lucius. Both men smiled, in spite of the seriousness of the situation. A knock at the door drew everyone's attention. When Professor Minerva McGonagall walked in, she looked around the room, taking in the two students in the armchair, Narcissa Malfoy kneeling in front of them, and the three men standing, whether they knew it or not, protectively close to the others. "Albus, what is going on? Not that I'm not delighted to see you, Lucius, Narcissa, but this is highly unusual. Parents do not normally visit during term, and never with three young children along with them. Now then, Hermione. What's the matter, child? I've never seen you like this." She strode over to her House's top student and laid a hand on her shoulder. The woman looked aghast as this proved to be the brunette's undoing.

Hermione turned and pressed her face into Draco's shoulder and sobbed. Her friend/confidant hurriedly pulled her from the space next to him into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he hugged her and rocked back and forth slightly, trying to comfort her. He murmured soothingly in her ear while the adults looked on in shock. He was accustomed to things like this, she did it quite often when she was upset about something big. When she had calmed down enough to lift her face from his shoulder, Draco pressed his forehead to Hermione's for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, which he handed to his friend. She wiped her eyes with it and leaned against him, not looking at anyone. The seventeen-year-old young man waved the adults off, motioning that he could and would handle it. His mother, worried though she looked, moved to stand with her husband and the transfiguration professor went to have the Headmaster fill her in on what was going on.

As the adults who cared so much for the two teenagers discussed what could be done for the distraught girl, Draco took matters into his own hands. "It'll be alright, love. I promise, someday it will be. No matter what happens, no matter what life throws at you, always know that I'm right here. Just a step behind you. Ok? I'll always be there when you need my shoulder for leaning on or crying on. Through good times and bad," he murmured against her hair. She hugged him close, leaned up, and kissed his cheek.

"I know you will, Draco."

Meanwhile…

"A Peaceful Sleeping Draught wouldn't be addictive, so there'd be no worries about that, it's true. But while she would be sleeping peacefully, she wouldn't be sleeping restfully. What if we simply lifted the charm that keeps them from sleeping in the same bed for now? That way, they'd both sleep well and it would give us some time to figure out why she keeps having these nightmares. I-," the Potions master was cut off by Narcissa.

"We already know that! She was traumatized when she was a child and nobody except Draco -who was EIGHT at the time!- really talked to her about it. She was confronted with another fire that rivaled the size of the one that killed her parents on the tenth anniversary of their deaths probably around the same time of night. What else do you need to know!?" The woman glared at him. Lucius almost smiled at his wife's vehemence, '_if looks could kill, my friend, you'd be six feet under!_'

"Now, children," the Headmaster said, "Narcissa, Severus was merely offering a suggestion, one that I intend to consider seriously. That would still only be a temporary solution, however. We need to determine what type of counseling would most benefit both children. It was so long ago, and yet not long at all. Hermione and Draco desperately need to get over the death of her parents, as they obviously have not. We won't be able to help them by arguing amongst our selves. I say we dismiss Hermione and Draco to visit with their siblings while we consider how best to help them."

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There's the next chap for y'all!! Drop me a line!


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